Dr. Chris LaFleur the manager of the Risk & Reliability Analyses Department at Sandia Nation Labs in Albuquerque, NM. She was previously the program lead for Hydrogen Safety, Codes and Standards for 6 years. Chris’ main research focus involves evaluating fire risks for emerging energy technologies. Her recent work involves characterizing risks from traffic incidents involving hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in tunnels for several metropolitan areas on the east coast, including evaluating the impacts of hydrogen jet flames on steel and concrete structural members. These analyses enable the safe implementation of cleaner transportation fuels to reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels and increase the availability of renewable energy solutions. Prior to joining Sandia, Chris worked at General Motors where she managed corporate fire protection standards and was responsible for property insurance and enterprise risk management. Chris began her career as an environmental engineer for Parsons Engineering Science.

Chris is a licensed professional engineer and serves as the Chair of NFPA 2, Hydrogen Technologies Code and on the Center for Hydrogen Safety’s Hydrogen Safety Panel. She was the 2021 recipient of the Society of Women Engineers Advocating for Women in Engineering National Award. Chris received the Technical Program Area Award for 2020 from the DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office. In 2017, she received the Government Category Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Award. Chris earned a B.S. in Geology and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester, a M.S. in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Doctorate of Engineering in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Michigan.